STATE  OF  NEW-YORK. 


No.  111. 


IN  SENATE, 

May  5,  1845. 


REPORT 

Of  the  select  committee  on  the  Colonial  Agency. 

Mr.  Folsom,  from  the  select  committee  to  which  was  referred  the 
message  of  the  Governor,  communicating  the  final  report  of  John  R. 
Brodhead,  agent  under  the  act  of  the  Legislature  "  to  procure  and 
transcribe  documents  in  Europe,  relative  to  the  Colonial  History  of 
the  State,"  asks  leave  to  submit  the  following 

REPORT : 

A  respect  for  the  memorials  of  the  past  may  be  justly  considered 
as  one  of  the  marks  of  advanced  civilization.  Among  savage  nations 
the  only  care  is  for  the  supply  of  present  wants,  which  being  exclu- 
sively of  a  physical  nature,  like  those  of  irrational  animals,  are  easily 
satisfied,  with  equal  indifference  to  the  past  and  the  future.  But 
as  mankind  rise  in  the  scale  of  intelligence,  a  growing  solicitude  is 
felt  in  regard  to  circumstances  and  events  beyond  the  present  mo- 
ment ;  the  necessity  of  making  provision  for  future  exigencies  be- 
comes more  and  more  apparent,  and  leads  to  untiring  exertion  to  ac- 
complish so  important  an  end.  It  is  reserved,  however,  for  a  still 
higher  degree  of  progress  to  develope  any  considerable  interest  re- 
specting the  past.  It  is  an  old  utilitarian  maxim  that  makes  a  dead 
lion  of  less  claim  to  consideration  than  a  living  ass  ;  and  the  mind 

[Senate,  No.  111.]  1  (5t.) 


.tJUl 

'2  [Senate 

requires  to  be  raised  above  the  ordinary  calculations  of  mere  thrift 
to  appreciate  the  value  of  what  no  longer  possesses  actual  power  or 
influence  in  the  esteem  of  the  busy  world.  The  monuments  of  his- 
tory, standing  aside  in  the  seclusion  of  by-places  and  deserted  spots, 
or  buried  beneath  what  is  generally  regarded  as  the  useless  rubbish  of 
the  remains  of  antiquity,  are  passed  by  with  indifference  until  an  en- 
lightened desire  is  awakened  to  know  something  of  the  early  foun- 
dations of  society,  or  to  explore  the  sources  of  national  greatness. 

It  has  been  made  a  subject  of  reproach  to  this  country,  by  the 
enemies  of  republican  institutions,  that  no  care  is  taken  among  us 
to  preserve  our  ancient  records, — a  charge  implying  a  semi-barbarous 
condition  of  society,  and  far  from  complimentary  to  our  national 
character.  But  admitting  its  truth,  to  a  considerable  extent,  there  is 
good  reason  to  believe  it  will  not  be  long  deserved  ;  for  public  at- 
tention is  beginning  to  be  more  and  more  directed  to  the  importance 
of  rescuing  from  destruction  whatever  may  tend  to  illustrate  the  rise 
and  progress  of  our  institutions,  and  exhibit,  in  bolder  relief,  the 
character  and  labors  of  the  pioneers  of  civilization  upon  the  shores, 
of  the  new  wTorld. 

It  is  the  misfortune  of  this  State,  that  its  early  founders  have  been 
held  up  to  the  ridicule  of  the  world  by  one  of  its  most  gifted  sons, 
who  has  exhausted  the  resources  of  his  wit  and  satire  in  exposing 
imaginary  traits  in  their  characters,  while  the  most  polished  efforts  of 
his  graver  style  have  been  reserved  to  adorn  the  Corinthian  columns 
of  the  more  aristocratic  institutions  of  foreign  countries.  A  late 
excellent  writer,  the  author  of  a  valuable  history  of  the  United 
States,  although  a  stranger  to  our  country,  has  spoken  in  proper 
terms  on  this  subject ;  he  remarks  as  follows  :  "  Founders  of  ancient 
a  colonies  have  sometimes  been  deified  by  their  successors.  New- 
"  York  is  perhaps  the  only  commonwealth  whose  founders  have  been 
"  covered  with  ridicule  from  the  same  quarter.  It  is  impossible  to 
u  read  the  ingenious  and  diverting  romance  entitled  Knickerbocker's 
"  History  of  New-York,  without  wishing  that  the  author  had  put  a 
K  little  more  or  a  little  less  truth  in  it  ;  and  that  his  talent  for  humor 
"  and  sarcasm  had  found  another  subject  than  the  dangers,  hardships, 
u  and  virtues,  of  the  ancestors  of  his  national  family.  It  must  be 
"  unfavorable  to  patriotism,  to  connect  historical  recollections  with 
"  ludicrous  associations,"  &c* 

*  Grahame's  History  of  the  United  States. 


No.  12!.]  3 

To  remove  the  reproach  thus  thoughtlessly  attachecfto  the  annals  of 
our  State,  it  is  only  necessary  to  bring  to  light  the  true  character  of 
its  early  colonists,  whose  father-land  ranked  at  that  period  among  the 
foremost  nations  of  Europe  in  point  of  commercial  wealth  and  enter- 
prise, and  before  all  others  in  the  freedom  of  its  government  ;  a  free- 
dom purchased  by  forty  years'  struggle  against  the  blood-thirsty  myr- 
midons of  Spanish  despotism.  The  traits  ascribed  by  the  mock  his- 
torian to  the  first  settlers  of  New-York,  can  scarcely  be  supposed  to 
have  characterized  such  a  people  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  manly  vir- 
tues they  displayed  amidst  the  toils  and  hardships  of  colonial  life, 
removed  at  so  great  a  distance  from  the  scenes  of  their  early  associa- 
tions, deserve  a  very  different  commemoration  at  the  hands  of  their 
descendants  and  successors. 

The  New- York  Historical  Society — an  institution  that  has  done 
much  to  preserve  the  historical  records  of  our  State — first  suggested 
to  the  Legislature  the  propriety  of  searching  the  archives  of  the  Ne- 
therlands, and  other  European  Governments,  for  documents  illustra- 
tive of  the  early  history  of  the  State.  In  compliance  with  a  memo- 
rial from  that  institution,  the  Legislature  passed  the  act  of  May  2d> 
1839,  authorizing  the  Governor  and  Senate  u  to  appoint  an  agent  to 
visit  England,  Holland  and  Fiance,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  cop- 
ies of  all  such  documents  and  papers,  in  the  archives  and  offices  o^ 
those  governments,  relating  to,  or  in  any  way  affecting  the  colonial 
history  of  this  State."  The  sum  of  four  thousand  dollars  was  at  the 
same  time  appropriated  to  carry  out  the  objects  of  the  agency,  which, 
by  two  subsequent  appropriations,  was  increased  to  twelve  thousand 
dollars.  On  the  15th  of  January,  1S41,  nearly  two  years  after  the 
passage  of  the  law,  John  Romeyn  Brodhead,  of  the  county  of  Ulster, 
was  appointed  to  this  agency,  and  embarked  for  England  on  the  first 
of  May  following,  for  the  purpose  of  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his 
mission.  A  copy  of  his  instructions,  from  the  Executive  of  the  State, 
is  annexed  to  this  report. 

In  pursuance  of  these  instructions,  Mr.  Brodhead,  on  his  arrival  in 
London,  applied  to  the  British  Government  for  permission  to  make 
transcripts  of  such  documents  in  its  archives  as  related  to  our  colonial 
history.  The  application  appears  to  have  been  coldly  received  by 
Lord  Palmerston,  then  principal  Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Af- 
airs,  notwithstanding  the  kind  offices  rendered  to  the  agent  by  Mr. 


4  (Senate 

Stevenson,  minister  from  the  United  States  near  that  Government  ;  and, 
without  losing  time,  Mr.  Brodhead  proceeded  at  once  to  Holland,  where 
a  very  different  reception  awaited  him.  Repairing  to  the  Hague,  he 
was  presented  to  the  King  by  the  Hon.  Harmanus  Bleecker,  the  Ame- 
rican ministerto  the  Netherlands  ;  and  it  was  soon  found  that  His 
Majesty  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  objects  of  the  mission,  and  was 
disposed  to  grant  every  possible  facility  to  aid  the  researches  of  the 
agent.  It  seems  to  have  been  regarded  in  that  country  as  a  gratify- 
ing circumstance,  that  the  descendants  of  Dutch  ancestors  who  had 
left  the  father-land  two  centuries  ago,  should  so  far  cherish  the  re- 
membrance of  their  ancient  lineage,  as  to  despatch  one  of  their  num- 
ber across  the  wide  ocean  to  seek  memorials  of  the  olden  time  ;  and 
a  warm  feeling  of  kindness  was  extended  by  all  classes  towards  the 
agent,  and  liberal  arrangements  were  made  to  lighten  and  facilitate 
his  labors. 

The  results  of  Mr.  Brodhead's  researches  in  Holland  are  sixteen- 
volumes  of  transcripts  in  the  Dutch  language,  an  analysis  of  which  is 
contained  in  his  printed  calendar.  It  will  be  observed  that  these  docu- 
ments comprise  a  great  variety  of  details  relative  to  the  original  dis- 
covery and  settlement  of  our  State  ;  commencing  with  notices  of  the 
first  navigators  who  explored  the  North  and  East  rivers,  and  embra- 
cing copies  of  the  decrees  of  the  States-General,  granting  the  privi- 
leges of  trade  and  further  discovery  to  companies  of  merchants  ? 
which  led  to  the  subsequent  colonization  by  patroons  or  patentees  of 
lands.*  One  of  these  grants,  bearing  date  October  11th,  1614,  is  ac- 
companied by  a  descriptive  map  of  the  North  river  and  the  adjacent 
country,  executed  within  five  years  after  the  discovery  by  Hudson.  It 
only  remains  that  the  seal  of  a  foreign  language  should  be  taken  off 
from  these  valuable  and  curious  records,  to  render  them  accessible  to 
all  ;  and  to  this  end  the  committee  would  recommend  that  a  suitable 
person  be  employed  to  translate  them  at  the  public  expense. 

Among  these  documents  the  committee  would  particularly  notice 
one,  that  possesses  peculiar  interest  in  its  relation  to  the  Dutch  colony 
on  the  island  of  Manhattan.  The  precise  year  in  which  that  colony 
was  planted  is  not  known  ;  the  oldest  records  in  possession  of  the 
State,  before  the  receipt  of  these  documents,  commence  with  the  ad- 
ministration of  Governor  Kieft,  in  the  year  1638,  with  the  single  ex- 


*See  appendix  (B.)  for  a  copy  of  one  of  these  early  grants. 


No.  111. J  5 

ception  of  some  grants  of  land  which  go  back  to  1630.  But  there 
was  found  a  few  years  ago  among  the  papers  of  Governor  Bradford, 
of  the  Plymouth  colony,  a  correspondence  between  that  functionary 
and  the  Dutch  authorities  of  New-Netherlands,  on  the  island  of  Man- 
hattan, bearing  date  in  the  year  1627;  and  Bradford,  in  a  letter  writ- 
ten at  that  time,  says  of  the  Dutch,  u  that  for  strength  of  men  and 
fortifications  they  far  exceed  them  and  all  others  in  the  country." 
Until  the  reception  of  these  fruits  of  the  agency,  we  were  thus  indebt- 
ed to  another  colony  for  the  first  notice  of  the  colonization  of  our  own 
State.  It  is  true,  a  few  trading-houses  had  been  established,  and 
forts  erected,  both  on  Manhattan  island  and  at  Albany,  several  years 
before  ;  but  no  accounts  of  a  regular  settlement  of  the  country  by  fa- 
milies from  Holland  at  that  early  date  have  reached  us.* 

The  document  alluded  to,  although  brief,  enables  us  to  show  the 
existence  of  the  colony  still  earlier  than  the  correspondence  with  Go- 
vernor Bradford.  The  attention  of  the  Legislature  has  already  been 
called  to  it,  in  a  report  made  to  this  body  during  the  last  session,  but 
for  a  very  different  purpose,  and  in  an  incomplete  and  inaccurate 
translation;  it  is  therefore  reproduced  here.  It  is  a  letter  written 
from  Amsterdam  by  Mr.  Schagen,  the  Deputy  of  the  States-General 
at  the  meeting  of  the  West  India  Company,  to  the  Dutch  Government 
at  the  Hague,  announcing  the  arrival  at  Amsterdam  of  a  ship  from 
New-Netherland,  with  advices  from  the  Dutch  colonists  on  the  island 
of  Manhattan;  bearing  date  November  5th,  1626.  The  following  is 
a  translation  of  this  document: 

To  the  High  and  Mighty  Lords  of  the  States- General  at  the  Hague  : 

My  Lords, — There  arrived  here  yesterday  the  ship  called  the 
4  Arms  of  Amsterdam,'  which  sailed  from  the  river  Mauritius, 
[the  Hudson,]  in  New-Netherland,  on  the  23d  of  September.  Re- 
port is  brought  that  our  people  there  are  diligent,  and  live  peace- 
ably; their  wives  have  also  borne  them  children.  They  have  pur- 
chased the  island  of  Manhattes  from  the  Indians  for  the  sum  of  sixty 

*  Argal  found  a  few  huts  on  Manhattan  island  in  16J3.  But  it  appears  from  a  document, 
a  copy  of  which  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix  to  this  Report,  that  the  English  Non- 
conformists who  had  fled  to  Holland,  and  were  residing  at  Leyden,  desired  permission  to 
remove  to  "  New-Netherland,"  and  colonize  the  country,  in  the  early  part  of  1620. 
Their  request  was  denied.  It  may  fairly  be  inferred  from  the  contents  of  this  petition 
that  no  Dutch  colony  had  been  formed  at  that  time  ;  but  there  is  no  doubt  of  its  having- 
been  formed  within  two  or  three  years  after  that  date. 


6 


[Senate 


guilders;*  it  contains  11,000  morgensf  of  land.  They  have  sown 
all  kinds  of  grain  in  the  middle  of  May,  and  reaped  in  the  middle  of 
August.  I  send  you  small  samples  of  the  summer  grains,  as  wheat, 
rye,  barley,  oats,  buckwheat,  canary  seed,  beans  and  flax. 

"  The  cargo  of  the  ship  consists  of  7,246  beaver  skins, 

178  £  otter  " 
675      "  " 
48  mink  " 
36  cat-lynx  " 

33  mink  " 

34  small  rat  " 

together  with  a  considerable  quantity  of  oak  timber  and  nut-wood. 

"  Commending  your  High  and  Mighty  Lordships  to  the  favor  of  the 
Almighty, 

I  am  your  High  Mightinesses'  humble  servant, 

P.  SCHAGEN." 

uAt  Amsterdam^  Nov.  bth^  anno  1626." 

The  historical  value  and  interesting  character  of  this  document, 
cannot  fail  to  strike  any  one  who  is  capable  of  appreciating  the  first 
efforts  to  introduce  the  arts  of  civilized  life  into  a  new  and  widely 
extended  domain,  which  has  since  grown  from  these  small  beginnings 
into  a  large  and  flourishing  commonwealth,  excelling  in  population 
and  resources  some  of  the  monarchies  of  the  old  world. 

Some  doubt  has  hitherto  existed  in  regard  to  the  name  of  the  direc- 
tor general  or  governor  of  the  colony  prior  to  the  year  1633  ;  and 
although  it  was  generally  supposed  that  the  office  was  then  held  by 
Peter  M inuit,  yet  no  official  act  of  that  person  as  chief  magistrate 
was  among  our  records.  The  fact  is  now  established  by  the  discovery 
of  an  original  grant  of  lands,  signed  by  Peter  Minuit  and  his  council, 
dated  at  Fort  Amsterdam,  July  15th,  1630.  The  original  parchment 
containing  this  grant  was  procured  by  Mr.  Brodhead,  and  is  now  de- 
posited in  the  Secretary  of  State's  office.  It  is  the  only  official  act 
now  extant  of  the  first  governor  of  the  colony. 

It  is  not,  however,  the  intention  of  the  committee,  in  this  report,  to 
pursue  the  analysis  of  the  documents  procured  by  Mr.  Brodhead  from 


*  About  twent)r-four  dollars.       t  A  morgen  is  nearly  two  acres. 


No.  111.]  7 

the  different  archives  to  which  he  had  access.  The  calendars  printed 
with  his  report  are  sufficient  for  this  purpose,  and  exhibit  with  great 
clearness  the  variety  and  richness  of  materiel  comprised  in  the  collection. 

The  committee  will  only  add,  that  Mr  Brodhead,  having  finished 
his  labors  in  Holland,  returned  to  London  in  December,  1841,  where 
in  the  meantime  a  change  of  ministry  had  taken  place, — Lord 
Palmerston  having  been  succeeded  by  Lord  Aberdeen,  in  the  office  of 
Foreign  Secretary.  A  more  friendly  policy  towards  the  objects  of  the 
agency  was  now  manifested,  and  with  the  valuable  aid  of  the  new 
American  minister,  Mr.  Everett,  the  preliminary  difficulties  were  re- 
moved, and  Mr.  Brodhead  entered  upon  the  labors  of  his  mission  ; 
not,  however,  without  encountering  many  precautions  of  the  govern- 
ment that  contributed  to  embarrass  these  labors,  and  add  to  the  trouble 
and  expense  attending  them.  It  will  be  observed  in  the  report  of 
Mr.  Brodhead,  that  he  did  not  confine  his  researches  in  England  to 
the  archives  of  state,  but  extended  them  to  the  magnificent  collections 
of  manuscripts  contained  in  the  British  Museum,  as  well  as  other  re- 
positories in  London  and  its  vicinity. 

In  the  summer  of  1S42,  Mr.  Brodhead  proceeded  to  Paris,  where 
the  active  kindness  of  General  Cass,  the  American  minister,  procured 
him  all  desirable  facilities.  The  seventeen  volumes  of  transcripts 
obtained  in  the  Freneh  capital,  commence  with  the  year  1631,  and 
extend  to  1763.  They  are  beautifully  engrossed,  and  will  be  con- 
sulted with  great  interest  by  every  student  of  American  history, 
especially  in  relation  to  the  border  wars  that  led  to  the  final  reduction 
of  Canada,  and  the  extinction  of  French  power  on  this  Continent. 

Having  completed  his  researches  in  Paris,  Mr.  Brodhead  returned 
to  England,  and  on  the  7th  of  July,  1844,  embarked  for  New-York, 
where  he  arrived  early  in  the  following  month.  Immediately  after 
his  arrival,  he  reported  himself  to  Governor  Bouck,  and  made  known 
to  him  the  general  results  of  hi?  mission.  From  that  time  until 
the  date  of  his  final  report,  the  12th  of  February  last,  he  was  em- 
ployed at  the  city  of  New-York,  in  arranging  the  documents  in  chro- 
nological order,  framing  indexes,  and  preparing  his  report.  The 
documents  were  ftt  the  same  time  bound  up  in  eighty  distinct 
volumes,  viz  :  Sixteen  volumes  of  Holland  documents,  seventeen 
volumes  of  Paris  documents,  and  forty-seven  volumes  of  London 
documents, — the  latter  coming  down  to  the  year  1782. 


8  [Senate 

Should  it  be  supposed  that  no  practical  utility  will  be  derived  to 
%e  State  from  the  possession  of  these  documents,  it  may  be  stated 
that  important  references  have  already  been  made  to  them  in  the 
course  of  legislation,  during  the  present  session  of  the  Legislature. 
The  following  extract  from  the  report  of  a  committee  of  the  Assem- 
bly, in  relation  to  lands  granted  by  the  State  for  military  services, 
shows  their  value  in  this  respect  : 

u  The  committee  also,  in  the  spirit  of  the  rule  of  rendering  justice 
to  whom  justice  is  due,  feel  constrained  to  acknowledge  the  im- 
portant aid  they  have  received  in  this  investigation  and  search  for 
the  musty  records  of  olden  time,  to  the  report  and  documents  of  J. 
Romeyn  Brodhead,  agent  to  procure  and  transcribe  documents  in 
Europe,  relative  to  the  colonial  history  of  this  State.  Important 
papers  and  references  relating  even  to  this  claim,  have  been  brought 
to  light  by  his  researches,  and  exhibit  the  importance  of  the  objects 
and  execution  of  his  trust." — Report  of  Mr.  Boughton^  #c,  April 
21,  1845. 

The  committee  cannot  better  close  this  account  of  the  fruits  of  this 
interesting  mission,  than  by  quoting  a  few  passages  from  a  private 
letter  addressed  to  the  agent,  by  the  Hon.  George  Bancroft,  the 
American  historian.  After  having  consulted  the  collection,  with  re- 
ference to  the  period  embraced  in  the  forthcoming  volumes  of  his 
History  of  the  United  States,  Mr.  Bancroft  remarks  as  follows  : 

"  Your  papers  I  examined  very  carefully,  from  1748  to  the  close  of 
the  series,  and  was  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense  of  their  im- 
portance. There  is  nothing  in  print  like  the  minute  and  exact  re- 
ports made  by  the  French  officers  in  Canada,  of  their  operations  on 
our  frontier,  during  their  long  struggle  for  the  preservation  of  Cana- 
da. Your  papers  surround  Montcalm  with  all  the  interest  of  a  hero 
of  romance  ;  and  trace  his  overthrow,  clearly,  to  distinct  and  inexor- 
able causes. 

"  For  the  following  period,  your  collections  were,  also,  most  in- 
teresting, and  were  absolutely  necessary  to  the  complete  understand- 
ing of  the  politics  of  New-York,  during  the  years  before  the  Revo- 
lution. The  less  numerous  papers  in  the  years  of  the  Revolution, 
contain  some  of  the  most  curious  and  surprising  character." 


No.  lll.J 


9 


In  regard  to  the  expenses  of  the  mission,  it  appears  from  the  ac- 
count rendered  by  the  Comptroller,  that  there  has  been  paid  to  the 
agent,  from  the  State  treasury,  the  sum  of  $12,000,  being  the 
amount  appropriated  by  the  Legislature  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the 
agency,  at  three  several  periods  ;  to  wit  :  On  the  2d  of  May,  1839, 
$4,000;  on  the  11th  of  April,  1842,  $3,000  ;  and  on  the  13th  of  • 
April,  1843,  $5,000.  By  the  Comptroller's  books,  it  appears  that 
Mr.  Brodhead  has  furnished  accounts  and  vouchers  for  $12,014.23, 
including  his  compensation  to  July  7th,  1844,  leaving  a  balance  in 
his  favor,  to  that  date,  of  $14.23. 

It  appears  from  an  abstract  of  the  agent's  accounts,  that  the  Hol- 


land documents,  exclusive  of  binding,  cost   $703  13 

The  Paris  documents,   904  80 

The  London  do.,   4,078  01 


$5,685  94 

Salary  of  the  agent  two  years,  eleven  months,  and  ten 

days,  at  $2,000  per  annum,  $5,888  87 

Travelling  expenses,   439  42 


$12,014  23 


It  also  appears  from  the  account,  that  there  remains  due  to  the 
agent  the  sum  of  $1,390.98,  including  salary,  expenses  of  binding 
the  documents,  &c,  from  the  14th  of  August,  1844,  to  the  12th  of 
February  last.  The  committee  have  examined  this  account,  with 
the  vouchers,  and  recommend  that  it  be  paid  ;  and  ask  leave  to  in- 
troduce the  accompanying  bill. 


Senate,]  No.  111.] 


2 


I 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


i 


http://archive.org/details/reportofselectco00newy_2 


APPENDIX, 


(A.) 

Instructions  to  the  Agent. 

STATE  OF  NEW- YORK, 

Executive  Department. 

Albany,  March  21th,  1841. 

To  John  Romeyn  Brodhead,  Esquire  : 

The  Legislature  of  this  State  having  on  the  2d  day  of  May,  1839, 
passed  an  act  for  the  appointment  of  an  agent  to  visit  England,  Hol- 
land and  France,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  the  originals  or  copies 
of  such  documents  and  papers  in  the  archives  of  those  governments 
relating  to  the  colonial  and  other  history  of  this  State,  as  are  import- 
ant to  illustrate  that  history  ;  and  you  having  been  duly  appointed 
such  agent,  and  being  about  to  proceed  in  the  execution  of  your  du- 
ties, it  seems  to  be  proper  that  I  should  communicate  to  you  the  views 
entertained  by  the  Executive  in  relation  thereto. 

This  communication  is  to  be  regarded  as  advisory  only.  The  lan- 
guage of  the  act  is  quite  indefinite,  and  was  undoubtedly  designedly 
made  so,  in  order  to  leave  the  agent  at  liberty  to  exercise  a  sound  and 
wise  discretion  according  to  the  circumstances  affecting  the  object  of 
his  mission.  In  recommending  those  objects  to  the  Legislature,  I  ob- 
served that  their  successful  accomplishment  would  advance  the  cause 
of  free  government  throughout  the  world,  and  that  it  was  due  to  our- 
selves and  to  the  memory  of  our  predecessors,  and  to  a  just  regard  for 
the  respect  of  posterity,  that  every  important  circumstance  connected 
with  1he  rise  and  progress  of  our  free  institutions  should  be  recorded 
and  illustrated. 

The  general  policy  of  the  European  governments  towards  their 
transatlantic  possessions  has  been  heretofore  studied  by  us  chiefly  in 
the  acts  of  their  agents  here,  while  its  comparative  unimportance  in 
the  domestic  history  of  those  States  has  caused  it  to  be  often  over- 


12 


[Senate 


looked  or  superficially  treated  by  European  historians.  It  is  repre- 
sented to  us  that  there  are  now  in  the  archives  and  public  offices  of 
Holland  and  England,  many  papers  relating  to  the  events  and  per- 
sons prominent  in  our  local  history  anterior  to  and  through  the  revo- 
lution. Among  such  papers  may  be  expected  to  be  found  reports, 
advices,  and  other  communications  from  the  colonial  governors,  mili- 
tary commanders,  the  early  colonists,  and  other  individuals  resident 
here. 

The  policy  of  France,  in  establishing  her  military  positions  upon 
this  continent,  is  regarded  among  the  most  important  and  interesting 
particulars  of  our  history  ;  and  her  long  struggle  to  retain  those  posi- 
tions exercised  a  great  influence  for  a  long  period  upon  the  condition, 
disposition  and  purposes  of  the  people  of  New-York.  It  is,  I  pre- 
sume, chiefly  with  a  view  to  obtaining  authentic  evidence  concerning 
this  part  of  our  history,  that  you  are  expected  to  visit  that  country. 

It  would  be  highly  interesting  to  obtain  the  originals  or  copies  of 
the  instructions  forwarded  to  the  French  and  English  Governors  of 
Canada  ;  to  learn  the  views  which  possessed  them,  of  a  commercial, 
military,  or  colonizing  character  ;  their  expectations  of  the  future 
growth  of  their  settlements  bordering  upon  the  colony  of  New-York  ; 
their  expenditures  and  receipts  ;  the  nature  and  extent  of  their  alli- 
ances with  the  Indian  tribes ;  and  the  history  of  their  expeditions 
across  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  of  their  posts  upon  Lake  Ontario  and 
tiie  River  Niagara,  so  far  as  developed  by  official  reports,  or  memori- 
als from  the  foreign  departments  under  whose  administration  these 
various  operations  took  place. 

It  will  be  equally  important  to  obtain  in  England  the  copies  of 
those  papers  relating  to  the  occupation  of  the  colony,  which  are  said 
to  have  been  removed  to  the  mother  country,  together  with  such  offi- 
cial documents,  memoirs,  and  statistical  details  as  were  doubtless  com- 
municated from  time  to  time  to  the  British  Government  by  its  agents 
here.  Among  these  transactions,  the  conduct  of  Sir  William  John- 
son, his  agency  with  the  Indians,  his  communications  to  his  Govern- 
ment, and  his  views  as  to  the  extension  of  the  British  power,  would 
be  particularly  valuable.  The  expedition  of  Colonel  Nichols  has 
never  yet  been  known  to  us  in  all  its  details.  The  capture  of  the 
city  of  Albany  under  his  orders,  has  found  as  yet  but  a  few  lines  on 
the  pages  of  the  historian. 

The  Dutch  records  have  furnished  us  with  a  vast  amount  of  infor- 
mation relating  to  the  colony  while  in  subordination  to  the  West  In- 
dia Company,  but  the  official  reports  of  Governors  Van  Twiller, 
Stuyvesant,  Kieft,  (fee.  to  the  father-land,  and  the  documents  which 
must  necessarily  have  been  communicated  from  time  to  time  by  those 
zealous  agents,  are  yet  to  become  a  part  of  the  materials  of  our  his- 

t0IT* 

Many  details  in  relation  to  the  patents,  manorial  rights,  &c,  and 
much  information  relating  to  the  Indian  trade,  will  no  doubt  be  glean- 
ed from  the  archives  which  may  become  accessible. 

All  these,  as  far  as  the  appropriation  will  permit,  after  defraying 
your  necessary  expenses,  and  the  private  charges  which  will  attend 


No.  111.]  13 

you  in  your  various  journeys,  will  become  matter  of  interest  to  you  in 
your  general  investigations. 

You  are  advised  to  proceed  first  to  Holland,  to  ascertain  what  docu- 
ments and  papers  require  your  attention  there  ;  then  to  proceed  to 
England,  and  institute  a  similar  examination  there.  Having  thus 
ascertained  what  will  be  most  important  in  those  countries,  you  will 
proceed  to  solicit  the  originals,  or  cause  transcripts  to  be  made,  as 
circumstances  shall  indicate.  While  this  is  going  forward  in  those 
countries,  you  will  have  leisure  to  proceed  to  Paris,  in  performance 
of  your  duties  at  that  capital. 

You  will  from  time  to  time  report  to  the  Executive  of  this  State, 
and  will  be  at  liberty  at  all  times  to  seek  advice  from  him  in  regard 
to  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  your  mission.  You  will  ship  to  the 
address  of  the  Secretary  of  State  any  books  or  parcels  you  deem  it 
important  to  be  sent  to  this  country. 

You  will  be  allowed  at  the  rate  of  two  thousand  dollars  per  annum, 
payable  quarterly,  for  your  compensation,  besides  your  travelling  ex- 
penses and  disbursements  for  the  purposes  of  your  mission.  You 
have  already  received  an  advance  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  On 
rendering  accounts  for  one  thousand  dollars  of  that  sum,  you  may 
draw  upon  the  Comptroller  for  another  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars 
in  advance  in  like  manner,  and  so  on,  accounting  and  drawing  the 
extent  of  the  amount  appropriated  in  the  bill. 

In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  subscribed 
my  name,  and  caused  the  great  seal  of  the  State 
to  be  affixed,  this  twenty-seventh  day  of  March, 
[l.  s.  ]  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  forty-one,  and  of  the  independence  of 
the  United  States  of  America,  the  sixty-fifth. 

WILLIAM  H.  SEWARD. 


14 


[Senate 


(  B.  ) 

Grant  from  the  States  General,  Oct.  11th,  1614. 

The  States  General  of  the  United  Netherlands,  to  whom 
these  presents  shall  come,  make  known  ;  Whereas,  Gerrit  Jacobsen 
Witsen,  formerly  Burgomaster  of  the  city  of  Amsterdam,  Jonas  Wit- 
sen,  and  Simon  Monissen,  owners  of  the  ship  named  the  Fox,  whose 
Captain  is  John  De  With  ;  Hans  Hongers,  Paulus  Pelgrom,  and  Lam- 
brecht  Van  Tweenhuysen,  owners  of  the  two  ships  named  the  Tiger 
and  the  Fortune,  whose  Captains  are  Adriaen  Block  and  Hendrick 
Corstiansen  ;  Arnold  Van  Leybergen,  Wessel  Schenck,  Hans  Claes- 
sen,  and  Barent  Sweertsen,  owners  of  the  ship  named  the  Nighten- 
gale, whose  Captain  is  Thys  Volkertsen,  merchants  of  the  aforesaid 
City  of  Amsterdam  ;  and  Peter  Clementsen  Brower,  Jan  Clement- 
sen  Kies,  and  Cornells  Volkertsen,  merchants  of  the  city  of  Hoorn, 
owners  of  the  ship  named  the  Fortune,  whose  captain  is  Cornells  Jacob- 
sen  May, — all  now  united  together  in  one  Company, — have  reverently 
represnted  to  us,  that  they,  the  memorialists,  at  heavy  expense  and 
great  damage  to  themselves,  from  the  loss  of  ships  and  other  great 
risks,  have,  this  present  current  year,  with  the  aforesaid  five  ships, 
discovered  and  found  certain  new  lands  lying  in  America,  between 
New  France  and  Virginia,  being  the  sea-coasts  thereof,  situated  in 
the  latitude  of  from  40  to  45  degrees,  now  named  JVew-JYetherland, 
and  praying,  [that  whereas  we,  in  the  month  of  March  last,  for  the 
encouragement  and  increasing  of  commerce,  had  published  a  certain 
general  ordinance  and  grant  to  the  effect  that  all  those  who  from  that 
time  forward  should  discover  any  new  passages,  havens,  lands,  or 
places,  should  have  the  exclusive  ri^ht  of  making  four  voyages  thi- 
ther, and  that  no  other  persons,  directly  or  indirectly,  should  sail 
from  the  United  Netherlands,  to  the  said  newly  discovered  passages, 
havens,  lands  or  places,  or  frequent  the  same,  until  the  first  discoverer 
had  himself  made  the  four  voyages  within  the  time  limited  therefor, 
under  penalty  of  the  forfeitures  in  the  aforesaid  ordinance  expressed, 
&c.  &c.,]  that  we  should  grant  them  a  proper  act  to  be  passed  in 
form,  and  in  pursuance  of  the  said  ordinance ;  Which  being  con- 
sidered, and  having  heard,  in  our  meeting,  the  pertinent  report  of  the 
memorialists,  concerning  the  discovery  of  the  aforesaid  new  lands, 
within  the  aforesaid  limits  and  latitudes,  and  of  their  adventures  \  we 
have  authorized  and  allowed  the  said  memorialists,  (at  present  united 
together  in  one  Company,)  and  do  hereby  authorize  and  allow  the 
same,  exclusively,  to  navigate  to  the  said  newly  discovered  lands  lying 
in  America,  between  New  France  and  Virginia,  the  coast  of  which  is 
situated  in  the  latitude  of  from  40  to  45  degrees,  now  called  New 
Netherland,  [as  is  to  be  seen  by  the  "  figurative  map  hereto  annexed,*] 


•A  fac-simile  of  this  map  is  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  at  Albany. 


No.  111.] 


15 


for  four  voyages  within  the  period  of  three  years,  commencing  the 
first  day  of  January,  1615,  next  ensuing,  or  sooner  ;  without  that  any 
other  persons,  directly  or  indirectly,  shall  be  at  liberty,  out  of  these 
United  Netherlands,  to  sail  to,  navigate  to,  or  frequent  the  said  newly 
discovered  lands,  havens,  or  places,  within  the  said  period  of  three 
years,  under  pain  of  confiscation  of  the  ships  and  cargoes  wherewith 
the  same  shall  be  attempted,  contrary  to  this  decree,  and  of  a  fine  of 
50,000  Netherland  ducats,  to  the  benefit  of  the  aforesaid  discoverers, 
&c.  :  Provided,  nevertheless,  that  we  are  not  to  be  understood,  by 
these  presents,  as  doing  any  prejudice  to,  or  in  any  way  curtailing 
our  former  grants  and  concessions ;  and  that  our  meaning  further  is, 
that  in  case  any  disagreements  or  differences  should  happen  to  arise 
or  grow  out  of  this  our  grant,  that  the  same  shall  be  decided  by  our- 
selves. Ordering  and  commanding,  for  this  purpose,  most  expressly, 
all  Governors,  Justices,  Officers,  Magistrates  and  Inhabitants  of  the 
aforesaid  United  Lands,  to  let  the  aforesaid  company,  quietly  and 
peaceably,  use  and  enjoy  the  full  effect  of  this  our  grant  and  conces- 
sion, refraining  from  all  opposition  and  hindrance  to  the  contrary ; 
inasmuch  as  we  consider  the  same  to  be  for  the  service  and  benefit  of 
the  country.  Given  under  our  seal,  and  the  attestation  of  our  clerk, 
at  the  Hague,  the  11th  day  of  October,  1614. 

[Translated  from  the  original,  in  the  "Holland  Documents,"  in  the  Secretary 't  office, 
Albany,  volume  1,  page  47.] 


<C.) 

Memorial  in  behalf  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Robinson  and  his 
English  Congregation  at  Leyden,  who  afterwards 
formed  the  Plymouth  Colony  in  New-England. 

12th  February,  1620. 

To  the  Prince  of  Orange,  &c. 

Respectfully  make  known  the  Directors  of  the  Company  trading 
to  New  Netherland,  situated  between  New  France  and  Virginia,  in 
the  latitude  of  from  40  to  45  degrees,  that  they,  the  memorialists,  by 
virtue  of  a  certain  general  grant  of  the  High  Mighty  Lords  the  States- 
General,  dated  the  10th  (27)  March,  1614,  as  the  discoverers  and 
first  finders  of  the  said  lands,  have  now  made  voyages  thither  for 
some  years,  and  have  also  delivered  to  their  High  Mightinesses  their 
written  Report,  with  a  map  of  the  situation  and  usefulness  of  the 
said  lands.  And  as  the  memorialsts'  grant  has  expired,  so  that,  now, 
any  one  is  free  to  trade  there,  they  have,  for  the  purpose  of  keeping 
the  said  trade  in  reputation,  hitherto  sent  two  ships  thither,  and  some 
ships  have  also  been  sent  by  other  merchants,  not  belonging  to  their 
Company.  It  now  happens  that  there  is  residing  at  Leyden  a  cer- 
tain English  preacher,  (Minister  of  the  Gospel,)  but  who  is  well 


16 


[Senate 


versed  in  the  Dutch  language,  and  who  is  inclined  to  go  there  to  live ; 
assuring  your  memorialists  that  he  knows  that  (the  means  how")  over 
four  hundred  (400)  families  would  go  with  him  there,  as  well  from 
this  country  as  from  England,  provided  that  by  the  authority,  and 
under  the  protection  of  Your  Princely  Excellency,  and  the  High 
Mighty  Lords  the  States-General,  they  maybe  defended  and  preserved 
from  the  attacks  of  other  powers  ;  for  the  purpose  of  planting  there 
the  true  and  pure  Christian  Religion,  and  converting  the  savages  of 
those  countries  to  the  true  knowledge  and  understanding  of  the  Chris- 
tian faith  ;  and  also,  through  the  grace  of  the  Lord,  and  to  the  glory 
of  the  Government  of  this  country,  to  colonize  and  establish  a  new 
Empire  there,  under  the  order  and  command  of  Your  Princely  Excel- 
lency, and  the  High  Mighty  Lords  States  General.  And  your  memo- 
rialists have  also  found  by  experience,  that  His  Majesty  of  Great  Bri- 
tain is  disposed  to  colonize  the  aforesaid  lands  with  English  subjects, 
and  with  violence  to  make  fruitless  your  memorialists'  discoveries  and 
possession,  and  also  to  deprive  the  Government  of  this  country  of 
their  rights ;  and  probably  the  ships  of  this  country  which  are  now 
there,  and  which  are  ordered  to  remain  there  for  the  whole  of  this 
year,  may  be  easily  surprised  by  the  English.  Your  memorialists 
therefore  request  and  pray,  that  your  Princely  Excellency  would  be 
graciously  pleased  to  take  the  foregoing  matters  into  your  favorable 
consideration,  so  that,  for  the  preservation  of  the  rights  of  this  coun- 
try, the  aforementioned  preacher  and  400  families  may  be  taken  un- 
der the  protection  of  this  country,  and  that,  provisionally,  two  ships 
of  war  may  be  sent  to  secure  the  aforesaid  lands  to  this  Government, 
since  the  said  lands  may  be  of  great  importance,  whenever  the  West 
India  Company  shall  be  erected,  having  regard  to  the  great  quantity 
of  wood  proper  for  ship  building,  as  well  as  other  purposes,  as  is  to 
be  seen  by  the  accompanying  report. 
Upon  all  which,  &c.  &c. 

[Translated  from  the  original,  in  the  "  Holland  Documents,*'  in  the  Secretary's  office, 
Albany,  volume  1,  page  95.  It  appears  from  another  document  in  this  collection  that 
the  prayer  of  this  memorial  was  refused. — Holland  Documents,  vol.  1,  p.  103.] 


SEYMOUR  DURST 


